


Farewell - Professor Gast & specimen S 003

by goddamnitaisha



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Gen, young sephiroth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 15:51:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2817812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddamnitaisha/pseuds/goddamnitaisha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Professor Gast Faremis visits Sephiroth in his room to say farewell before the scientists elopes with Ifalna.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Farewell - Professor Gast & specimen S 003

**Author's Note:**

> ...I have to start off with confessing I don't think I have ever read a canon line from Professor Gast, ever. The fic/character portrayal are based on imagination and second-hand knowledge. Sorry!

"Sephiroth, I won't be back for a long time." Gast was kneeling in front of him. He put his hands on the child's shoulders. The plastic specimen gown rustled under his fingertips.

It was almost five o'clock in the labs, office hours were ending, the adventure was about to start. 

\- "What is a long time?" the boy asked.

\- "A very long time."

\- "More than a week?"

\- "Yes."

\- "More than two weeks?" 

\- "Yes. I hope so." 

Sephiroth folded his arms and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

The scientist almost laughed, because that was the exact same gesture he did when he was thinking hard. Gast would never have become concious of the habit if his young doctor-assistant Hojo hadn't picked it up too, when he was thinking hard.

But the mimicking revealed how much influence he had had over the child, and how much he'd be missed. With the heavy feeling of his departure in the back of his mind, the scientist couldn't manage much more than a grim half-smile.

"Doctor Ifalna will come with[[MORE]] me too. She's going to say goodbye to you after me."

\- "We are you going?"

"We're going to go far away. We're going to have a baby," he said. "It's another project, but of a different kind."

Sephiroth's eyes grew wide and for a moment the Professor thought he'd panic, throw a fit. If he'd have to stun Sephiroth, the farewell would be spoiled. 

But the child raised his hands and slapped then against his own cheeks. His mouth opened in a silent " _oh_!" and he said: "But it takes years to make a baby!"

\- "Who told you that?"

\- "Doctor Hojo did. He said I was a project of years."

"Ah," Gast smiled. He tapped his fingertip on Sephiroth nose. "Yes, but you are _special_."

Sephiroth looked at his nose, cross-eyed.

The professor lopsided smile appeared again. "Hands down."

Sephiroth put his hands down. His tummy stuck forward more than the rest of his body, and he stood constantly in a curve, like children do.

\- "The child we will be making will take a little less time: just three-quarters of a year."

"39 weeks," Sephiroth calculated quickly, because he didn't work with seasons, because he had hardly been outside.

The cleverness of the boy's mind had long ceased to surprise the Professor. "That's right."

\- "And then you will come back?"

"After a little longer," he said. A deep sigh followed. "I don't know. The baby has to grow up until it's as tall and strong as you are. I might never come back but-"

\- "Never?"

"-but you can come visit me when you are taller than Doctor Hojo."

Sephiroth's mouth tightened. 

\- "Boy, will you give me one last hug?"

Sephiroth reluctantly fell into his arms. He had no weight. He was small and breakable and warm. He was a creature that defied the laws of nature. A young, real, living creature made of Jenova and science. He loved Sephiroth -loved him so _so much-_  that he wanted a child for his own that he could call his own: because in Specimen S003 he saw traces of doctor Lucrecia, and he wanted to see his Ifalna back in their own child. Seven weeks pregnant, and it already made them giggly.

He hugged the boy again. He could tell he didn't like it very much, but the prospect of not being able to see the professor again made Sephiroth grab his coat tighter.

_Interesting. The subject -..._ his mind started, ready to scribble down notes of Sephiroth's progress, but then there were tears in his eyes and he couldn't think at all. "Study hard,"

Sephiroth nodded, tried to free himself. 

"Listen to Doctor Hojo. Be gentle with the earth. Try to discover your power as Ancient, will you, son?"

"Son?" Sephiroth repeated. He cut himself loose and stared up at Gast - who realized his mistake.

"An expression of endearment," he said. "I am not your father." He stood up.

"Who is my father?" Sephiroth grabbed his sleeve. The child looked up to him.

\- "That is.... not for _me_  to tell you."

\- "Please?" 

Gast felt his throat constrict more. 

\- "Who is my mother?"

The scientist said nothing. 

"Professor, please? I'll name all the great Streams of the six continents if you tell me!"

"I'm sure you can name them by now. Hey-" Gast ran a hand through his hair, and the bangs flopped back. "If you continue to grow your hair out like this... then maybe one day it will be as long as your mother's was... That is all I can tell you."

Sephiroth's eyes grew possibly bigger than they already were. His bottom lip grew broad and curled into a pout. His tiny chin gained dents. He looked the personification of sadness. The boy never cried, which was a distinct advantage or Gast would have swept him off his feet and taken him along. He couldn't, of course. He couldn't.

But as the child tugged his sleeve, oh, he wanted to.

"I'm going now."

"No..."

"Sephiroth, let go of my sleeve. I have to go now."

"No." 

This time the voice had sounded more insistent. Sephiroth's tears were gone, his face had smoothed out. There were no lights in his green eyes, and this didn't sound like an outbreak, or tantrum, but like the start of an assault. He now became a manipulator, testing the boundaries of what he was capable of doing.

Gast got scared. 

"Sep-" his throat constricted. The words stopped. He couldn't talk.

Doctor Hojo wasn't ready for this. He was too young. He would need a whole team of people to specialize in Sephiroth, and anyone who would get too close ought to be assigned a different position. 

He could take Seph- No.

But...

No, he _couldn't_.

He touched the small hand and rubbed his thumb over Sephiroth's fist. If he pulled now, the specimen would pull back. Who knew what fight they'd have. Without backup, who knew who'd _win_?

He needed to leave instructions for Hojo, or he would be all on his own versus... Sephiroth. 

He swallowed. He tried a smile, which trembled. "I have to clean the labs and make to-do lists for everyone so they can continue working without me."

Sephiroth's eyes remained cold.

Gast was sweating now, and ran his fingers over the tiny fist again. He had to get his coat sleeve free, and leave this room, as soon as possible. This was dangerous.

"Why don't you make your own to-do list?"

The silver-haired boy in the plastic shirt looked at him. Then he closed his eyes slowly, and turned his head. He looked at the papers behind him, in the corner on the floor. On the sheets were calculations scribbled that a boy his age wasn't  _supposed_ to know. 

The creepy yet innocuous child turned around. The lab-coat sleeve slipped through his hand.  

Gast sighed in relief. 

Sephiroth walked to the study-corner, Gast walked backward to the door. 

Sephiroth sat down. He rocked from left to right. "Where should I start?"

Gast's keycard kept missing the door's scanner, but he did not have the courage to turn around. "Start by writing down the topic," he smiled. "Just like in a lab report... but then one in advance. Experiment. By the end of tomorrow, see if you finished your list."

"Topic." Sephiroth decided. 

_Beep._ The door clicked, gave way. Gast hurried out.

Sephiroth reached for a pencil. It was the last thing Gast saw of him before the door to the specimen container-room shut. 

"And?" Doctor Ifalna said. 

Gast jumped. His heart shot up to his throat. He whirred around, stared at the woman beside him. Then all tension left him. He bowed forward and put a hand on his heart. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry."

Gast shook his head. "I'm sorry. Don't go in. I triggered one of his moods." 

"But he looks so sweet..." she said, and put a hand on the glass. 

Sephiroth picked up two pencils and held then in front of his face to see which tip was sharper. 

"Take a good look, and let's go. We won't see him for a long time."

"A long time..." Ifalna echoed softly. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
